Collins urges SFA to appoint energetic Strachan

The former midfield maestro insists Gordon Strachan, and not Walter Smith, is the manager to transform Scotland into overachievers, writes Richard Wilson

A HUBBUB has built up in Scotland for Walter Smith to be appointed the new national coach yet, standing apart in Monaco, John Collins sees another outlook as well. In his eyes, Gordon Strachan’s career as a manager and fiery enthusiasm make him perfectly prepared for the job.

Having worked under Smith at Everton, Collins knows his former manager would fit snugly into the chair vacated by Berti Vogts last week. There is no criticism implied in proposing another contender, it is just that in pondering the qualities that the job will hungrily demand, Collins finds his mind turning to Strachan.

“It’s because of the circumstances that he’s had to work under, his managerial experience so far with so-called smaller teams, weaker squads. His job description was to compete and get players overachieving, which is what he did,” Collins explains. “He’s never been a chequebook manager, he’s had to work